Switching device for automatically controlling woven label cutting machines or the like



March 16, 1965 N. N. MONEYPENNY 3,174,005

SWITCHING DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLING WOVEN LABEL CUTTING MACHINES OR THE LIKE Filed March 2, 1962 x m mp n w M. a My; M z w 5 4 w Y .QJ/M... B 6 "A, I 3 n 2 f 9 n m 3 W w. l W I I. 3 w -m a fi wvflfik 1!". 0 3 L 4 in a United St 3,174,065 Patented Mar. 16, 1965 Filed Mar. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 177ml 4 Claims. (Cl. zoo-61.13

This invention relates to a device for automatically controlling woven label cutting machines or the like and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Generally there is provided a sensitive microswitch having a feeler roller for engaging a strip of woven labels having thin unlettered areas between adjacent thicker woven label portions, the switch being adjusted so as to open and close in response to changes in the thickness of the strip detected by the feeler roller and being connected into circuits for automatically controlling the cycles of operation of the machine. The switch is adjustably mounted on a head for fine adjustment vertically of the position of the feeler roller, and the head is mounted on a horizontally disposed rod which can be rotated to effect gross vertical adjustment and which can be axially adjusted to vary the lateral positioning of the switch relative to the strip of labels; or said head may be adjustably movably mounted on sets of fixed and movable rods to vary the horizontal position of the switch.

An important feature of the invention resides in added means for electrically connecting the feeler roller in a second safety control circuit including a grounded metal lic table for stopping the machine when the safety control circuit is closed by a breaking or an exhaustion of the label strip or by its becoming laterally displaced from beneath the feeler roller.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a sensitive and reliable micro switch for automatically controlling the cycle of operation of a woven label cutting machine or the like by sensing small changes in the thickness of the label strip.

It is another object of the invention to provide a de vice of the character described in which the feeler element thereof is constructed for connection into a safety circuit including a grounded metallic table, whereby the machine can be automatically stopped by absence of the label strip beneath the switch.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a simple, sturdy and reliable mounting structure for ad justably positioning the control switch as desired.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an end elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a plan View of the left third of the showing of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the disclosure of FIGURE 1 viewed from the left end of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged transaxial view of the feeler roller of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged transaxial view of a modified form of fceler roller adapted for engaging cylindrical material, such as rope, and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of an alternate form of mounting means by which the switch actuating mechanism is adjustably mounted over a table.

With reference now to FIGURE 1 through FIGURE 4 of the drawings, the numeral ll generally designates the microswitch, or any sensitive snap action switch, which is basically of known construction, being widely available commercially. The switch 1}. includes a casing I2 of insulating material provided with horizontally aligned bores in its side walls to receive a mounting bolt 13 by which the switch It is vertically swingably attached to a supporting head 14- hereinafter fully described.

The micro switch house in the casing 12 has its relatively movable contacts (not shown) connected to a pair of externally accessible screw-type terminals 15 and 4-3. Terminal i5 is the normally opened terminal, terminal 43 is the common terminal and terminal 16 is the normally closed terminal. These terminals connect the switch It into a circuit for controlling the cycles of operation of the label cutting machine. The switch contacts are sensitively operated in known manner by a plunger 17 which is, in turn, operated by a spring arm 18 (FIG. 3), the right end which arm is upturned at W and an anchoringly embedded in molded casing 12 The free end of the spring arm 18 is provided with a pair of integral cars 26 downturned to define a yoke into which a feeler roller 21 snugly fits with the ends or hub portions of its axial shaft 22 journaled in aligned bearing apertures in the cars 20. Said roller 21 is different from the standard micro switch roller, as is readily apparent, in order to accomplish the desirable results produced by this invention. Elements 23 and 24 are, respectively, stop devices for limiting the down nd up movements of the arm I? within safe values.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a second safety switch and circuit including a metallic table 25 over which a strip of labels in is progressively moved. The strip 26 has relatively thick woven label portions 27 continuously interconnected by relatively thin unlettercd portions 28, which re sensed by the micro switch within the casing 12. If in the operation of the label cutting machine the labels are displaced longitudinally from a predetermined correct position, the switch It will detect the wrong thickness (27 or 23) under the feeler roller and trigger the previously mentioned circuits to electrically shut off the machine, thus preventing cutting the following labels at incorrect points. Therefore, when the strip 26 runs out or breaks, this condition permits the roller 21 to contact the metallic table 25'. Said two elements are herein employed as a safety switch to stop the machine when strip 26 runs out or breaks by the use of the adde structure next described.

Since the micro switch It has its internal contacts electrically insulated from the operating arm 18, said arm and its feeler roller 21 are connected to the terminal I5 by a metallic strip 29 angularly bent (FIG. 1) over the top and left side of the casing 12. The lower end of the strip 2d may be conveniently connected to the arm 18 by a loop 31 of flexible wire looped through, and over a convolution of, a coiled compression spring 32 and soldered at its ends to the strip 29 at 33.

The switch mounting head 14 comprises a block 34 and a top plate 35 removably interconnected by a pair of screws 36. The parts 34- and 35 form the jaws of a clamp by which the head 14 is angularly adjustably clamped to a flattened end 357 of a support rod 38. The rod 38 is rotatably and longitudinally adjustably received in a transverse bore in a support post 39 and is held in adjusted position in said bore by a set screw as. The lower end of the post 39 is machined to provide a stud 41 which is frictionally or otherwise removably held in desired rotational orientation in a bore 42 in the table 25.

Fine adjustments of the feeler roller 21 are effected by a screw-type terminal 43 loosely received in an aperture in the head plate 35 and screwed into a threaded bore 43'. Said bore 43 comprises the common terminal of the switch Ill in the switch casing 12. A compression spring 44: opposes the pull of the screw 53.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a feelcr roller 51, which is similarly mounted on a shaft 52. The roller 51 has a ll-shaped groove 53 formed therein for sensing changes in the diameter of cylindrical material 54, such as a rope or insulation covered wire, etc.

FIGURE 6 illustrates an alternate form of horizontally adjustable mounting structure for the sensing switch. Said structure comprises a switch-mounting head 14, similar to the head 14, to which the casing 12 and the mechanism carried thereby, but not shown in FIGURE 6, is adapted to be connected, adjustably mounted above a metallic table 25 by structure generally designated 61. The structure 61 comprises four upright posts 64 fixed to the table 25 in a pattern defined by a rectangle having an axis thereof parallel to the direction of motion of the strip of labels to be severed (not shown). The posts 64 are bored to receive the ends of a pair of parallel fixed guide rods 63.

A pair of longitudinally bored guide blocks 62 are slidably adjustable along the guide rods 63, being clamped in adjusted positions therealong by wing screws 65. The blocks 62 are rigidly interconnected by a pair of parallel guide rods 66 fixedly positioned in transverse bores in the blocks 62.

The head 14' is also transversely bored to receive the parallel transverse guide rods 66 for adjustment transversely of the table 25. A thumb set screw 67 engages one of the rods 66 to clamp the head 14' in laterally adjusted position.

While but certain forms of the invention have been shown and described herein, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many minor modifications may he made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a switching device of the character described a switch actuating mechanism which is responsive to variations in the thickness of a longitudinally moving web, said switch actuating mechanism comprising; a head, a horizontally disposed casing in which a switch is adapted to be mounted, means pivotally connecting said casing to said head, interconnecting means pivotally connecting said casing to said head, interconnecting means between said head and the free end of said casing by which the free end of said casing is adapted to be vertically adjusted about said pivotal connecting means, a spring arm disposed below said casing with one end thereof rigidly connected to said casing below said pivotal connecting means and with the free end thereof disposed below the said free end of said casing, a rotatably mounted feeler roller carried by said spring arm below the free end thereof, said spring arm yieldingly biasing said feeler roller downwardly, a vertically disposed plunger slidably mounted in said casing with the lower end thereof contacting the upper surface of said spring arm and the upper end thereof disposed in position to close a switch in said casing when said plunger is moved upwardly in said casing, a plurality of terminals carried by said casing by which said mechanism is adapted to be connected into a control circuit and to which a switch in said casing is adapted to be connected, and mounting means by which said switch actuating mechanism is adjustably mounted over a table in position for said feeler roller to engage a moving web having alternate high and low sections as it is moved forwardly on said table.

2. A switching device as defined by claim 1 in which said mounting means comprises; a vertically disposed post having the lower end thereof rotatably secured to said table, a transverse bore extending through said post adjacent the upper end thereof, a horizontally disposed rod having the rear end thereof slidably and rotatably mounted in said bore for angular and longitudinal adjustment, means by which said rod is clamped in adjusted position, and means by which said head is clamped to the forward end of said rod for angular adjustment with respect thereto.

3. A switching device as defined by claim 1 in which said mounting means comprises; a first pair of longitudinally spaced posts secured to said table and extending upwardly therefrom, a second pair of longitudinally spaced posts which are secured to said table and extend upwardly therefrom, said second pair of posts being disposed parallel to said first pair of posts in transveresly spaced relation thereto, a pair of similar horizontally disposed guide rods one of which is secured to and between said first pair of posts adjacent the upper ends thereof and the other of which is secured to and between the upper ends of said second pair of posts adjacent the upper ends thereof, a pair of similar blocks one of which is slidably mounted on each of said guide rods for longitudinal adjustment thereon, a pair of spaced parallel supporting rods secured to and between said pair of blocks, means by which said head is mounted on said supporting rods for back and forth adjustment thereon, and means by which said blocks and said head are secured in adjusted positions.

4. A switching evice as defined by claim 1 in which an electrical conductor is connected between said spring arm and one of said terminals, and said table is provided with an electrically conductive portion, said one of said terminals being'adapted to be connected into a safety circuit which includes the electrically conductive portion of said table.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,012,379 12/11 Longden ZOO-61.13 2,453,900 11/48 Gardiner et al 200-61.14 2,670,503 3/54 Anderson 57-81 3,043,926 7/62 Rabeux et a1 200-6l.l8

BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner. ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Examiner. 

1. IN A SWITCHING DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED A SWITCH ACTUATING MECHANISM WHICH IS RESPONSIVE TO VARIATIONS IN THE THICKNESS OF A LONGITUDINALLY MOVING WEB, SAID SWITCH ACTUATING MECHANISM COMPRISING; A HEAD, A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED CASING IN WHICH A SWITCH IS ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED, MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID CASING TO SAID HEAD, INTERCONNECTING MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID CASING TO SAID HEAD, INTERCONNECTING MEANS BETWEEN SAID HEAD AND THE FREE END OF SAID CASING BY WHICH THE FREE END OF SAID CASING IS ADAPTED TO BE VERTICALLY ADJUSTED ABOUT SAID PIVOTAL CONNECTING MEANS, A SPRING ARM DISPOSED BELOW SAID CASING WITH ONE END THEREOF RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO SAID CASING BELOW SAID PIVOTAL CONNECTING MEANS AND WITH THE FREE END THEREOF DISPOSED BELOW THE SAID FREE END OF SAID CASING, A ROTATABLY MOUNTED FEELER ROLLER CARRIED BY SAID SPRING ARM BELOW THE FREE END THEREOF, SAID SPRING ARM YIELDABLY BIASING SAID FEELER ROLLER DOWNWARDLY, A VERTICALLY DISPOSED PLUNGER SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID CASING WITH THE LOWER END THEREOF CONTACTING THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID SPRING ARM AND THE UPPER END THEREOF DISPOSED IN POSITION TO CLOSE A SWITCH IN SAID CASING WHEN SAID PLUNGER IS MOVED UPWARDLY IN SAID CASING, A PLURALITY OF TERMINALS CARRIED BY SAID CASING BY WHICH SAID MECHANISM IS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED INTO A CONTROL CIRCUIT AND TO WHICH A SWITCH IN SAID CASING IS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED, AND MOUNTING MEANS BY WHICH SAID SWITCH ACTUATING MECHANISM IS ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED OVER A TABLE IN POSITION FOR SAID FEELER ROLLER TO ENGAGE A MOVING WEB HAVING ALTERNATE HIGH AND LOW SECTIONS AS IT IS MOVED FORWARDLY ON SAID TABLE. 